Live and Let Die
by TantalumCobolt
Summary: After a meeting with the heads of MI6 Alex is sent to Brecon Beacons until he turns 18. But everything changes when Alex is involved in a horrific accident. Some people know more than they're telling and trust is broken between friends. Will everyone live happily ever after... or will lives be lost trying?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I should be working on my 'What if...?' stories but I'm sadly lacking inspiration and motivation at the moment. This was an idea that came to me while I was trying to sleep one night (damn plot-bunnies) and it refused to go away, so here is my attempt at writing a multi-chapter fic. It takes place after the events of Crocodile Tears and ignores Scorpia Rising... mostly. I'm going to apologise in advance for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy reading it!**

**DISCLAIMER: Once upon a time, I owned the rights to Alex Rider... And Alex and Jack lived happily ever after. The End. That was a great fairytale! Too bad it will never be real :(**

CHAPTER 1- Outsmarting MI6?

_Ring! Ring-Ring! Ring! Ring-Ring! Ri-_

"Hello?" Alex asked.

"Mr RIder? Your presence is required at he bank, there a few problems with your account that need to be dealt with."

"Can it wait? I'm kinda busy at the moment..."

"It's rather urgent actually,"

"Of course it is," Alex muttered under his breath.

"Shall I tell them you'll be here soon?"

"Fine, fine. I'll be there in half an hour,"

"We will send a ca-"

"I'll take the tube,"

There was no reply from the unknown agent, the only sound was the annoying beep that tells you the other person has hung up.

"It's important, it's rather urgent," Alex muttered mockingly as he hung up the phone. "It always is isn't it? Couldn't they have at least let me finish my sandwich?"

Nobody was there to answer him and the questions rang out in the empty house. Sighing, Alex reluctantly grabbed his key and left the house, making sure to lock the door behind him. You never could be too careful when you were at the top of Scorpia's 'To Kill' list.

* * *

15 minutes later Alex was walking through the front doors of the Royal & General Bank on Liverpool street, being careful to avoid the place where he'd been shot.

The receptionist looked up with a smile as he approached the desk.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see Mr Blunt-" Alex began.

"I'm sorry nobody by that name works here," the receptionist interrupted.

"Tell him it's Alex Rider,"

The receptionist's obviously fake smile wavered slightly but she quickly fixed it back in place and gestured to the lifts. "Go right up, he's expecting you."

"_I should hope he's expecting me. He did _invite_ me here_," Alex thought.

Alex nodded and murmured a thank you, already walking towards the lifts. Once he'd entered the lift he pushed the button for the 16th floor and, unbeknownst to him, an infrared camera searched his body for the cold metal of a knife or gun at the same time that a camera identified him as an MI6 agent. Once finding him unarmed the lift allowed him to continue the journey up to the 16th floor.

For Alex the short journey seemed both entirely too quick and extremely long. He was dreading the meeting with the heads of MI6, but at the same time he was curious; what did they want him for this time? He was pulled out of his musings by the doors opening and he stepped out into the corridor. Unwillingly he let his feet lead him down the hall to the door of Blunt's office.

Without bothering to knock he opened the door and stepped inside. Blunt and Jones abruptly cut off their conversation and turned to look - well, glare - at him.

"Alex!" Mrs Jones exclaimed, smiling - attempting to smile anyway. "Have a seat."

Alex nodded in greeting but remained standing. "Why am I here?" he demanded.

"Alex, please sit down," Mrs Jones repeated.

"I won't be here long enough."

"Sit down, now," Mrs Jones commanded. Alex reluctantly sat in the offered chair.

"There has been a slight problem involving one of our agents," Blunt began. "Simple surveillance-"

"Wait a second," Alex interrupted. "What does this have to do with me?"

Mrs Jones sighed. "If you will be patient you might find out."

Blunt cleared his throat and began speaking again. "The agent completed the mission successfully, simple. He came back, we debriefed him, he went home."

Jones took over. "The next morning he was found dead in his apartment."

Alex stared at them both in shock and confusion. "But, I don't see how this concerns me..."

"We need you to help us find out who killed him, and why," Jones said. "You won't have to do much. Just look around, gather information and report to us."

"_What the hell!?" Alex thought. "An agent dies and you want to investigate it using a kid!?"_

"No," Alex said calmly, gazing at Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones with a blank face. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm busy. There's this thing called a life, have you heard of it? Just because you don't have one, doesn't mean _I_ don't!"

Mrs Jones had an incredulous look on her face as she opened her mouth, then closed it again, either unable to think of anything to say or too shocked to say it. Mr Blunt too was surprised but he managed to hide it better, the only outward sign being the slight twitch of one eyebrow.

"You don't have a choice Alex," Blunt said smoothly.

"Really?" questioned Alex. "I think I do. Remember? My life, not yours." He knew he sounded exactly like a rebellious teenager, but he couldn't help it. He was a teenager after all.

By this time Mrs Jones had recovered from her shock and she narrowed her eyes slightly at the young boy sitting opposite her. Alex mentally prepared himself for what was sure to be another attempt at blackmail. "Have you forgotten Alex? We control everything, you house, your money, your guardian, we can very easily send Miss Starbright out of the country..."

Alex shook his head in mock sadness. "I'm disappointed, really I am. You're the heads of MI6 Special Operations, I would have thought you'd be able to figure out something as simple as this by now." He looked up at them innocently. "Don't you?"

Blunt's blank, unemotional face was unreadable as usual but his eyes showed his anger. "We don't have time for you games Rider," he almost growled. "Do you have a point? Or are you just trying to postpone the inevitable?"

"You can't control me Blunt, you can't blackmail me, I'm not your puppet anymore," Alex snarled, staring Blunt straight in the eye. "In fact, I don't think I ever was!"

Mrs Jones gave a sigh that, to anyone else, would seem real. "Shall I go call the airport Alan? Book Miss Starbright's ticket?"

"You can't."

"I believe I can Mr RIder."

Alex shook his head, the hint of a smirk on his lips. "No, you can't. Jack's gone, she left this morning, on an 8 o'clock flight to Washington. Check if you don't believe me." He sat back in his chair, arms crossed, unable to completely hide the satisfied smirk on his lips.

Blunt and Jones both stared at him for a second before Mrs Jones picked up the phone and dialled a number.

"Crawley? I need you to check a plane booking for me... 8 o'clock this morning to Washington... the name of Starbright... yes... I understand... thank you."

When she had hung up she turned to Blunt. "The boy's right, she's gone."

Blunt frowned. If Alex hadn't been so well trained in hiding his emotions his face would have been the picture of extreme shock at Blunt's ability to show emotion, but he was, so his face remained blank.

"Very well Alex," Blunt sighed. "You may go."

"I was planning on it," Alex muttered as he stood up and walked towards the door. Before he could leave however he was stopped by Mrs Jones.

"Oh, and Alex? Have your bags ready in an hour, the car will pick you up from your house."

"Car?" Alex asked, slightly confused.

"Of course," Blunt answered. "You're 15, did you honestly think you would be able to live by yourself?"

"_Damn!" _Alex thought, inwardly cursing. _"I knew it was too easy!"_

"You had better hurry," Jones advised. "It's a long drive to Brecon Beacons!"

* * *

Two hours later Alex was sitting in the backseat of a black mercedes. The driver hadn't spoken to him for the entire journey, even when Alex had tried his most to annoy him into talking - the poor driver would probably need therapy for the rest of his life.

He was currently staring out the window and counting rain drops that splattered the glass as the car sped along the muddy road. The constant water running down the window prevented him from clearly seeing the scenery outside, not that there'd be much to see anyway. Trees lined the road on both sides and extended back as far as the eye could see They were quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

Alex was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a car horn and as he turned to the front he was thrown against the side of the car. His head connected with the window causing spots to dance in front of his eyes. He blinked rapidly and tried to move away from the door, but his body wasn't cooperating. Darkness lurked on the edges of his visions and he could hear nothing except the blood rushing in his ears.

Then, suddenly, his vision cleared and his hearing returned. He desperately tried to jerk his body away from the door again, and this time he was able to move. He tuned his attention to what was happening around him just in time to here the sickening crunch of metal on metal and he was thrown onto the floor like a rag doll.

There was a flash of bright white light - and then everything went black. One last word fell from his lips before his body went limp.

"Dad..."

**AN: Okay, first of all, I want to say that the last scene may not be 100% correct but... that's my way of interpreting it. I'm sorry about the cliffhanger but I just thought it was the perfect place to end it. Could you please point out any mistakes I made so I can fix it? I'd love to hear what you thought and what you think will happen next so here are some questions to think about and answer (That means review!):**

**-What do you think happened to the car? Was it on purpose or not?**

**-What do you think happened to Alex?**

**-What will happen next?**

**-What will be the name of the new member of K-unit?**

**Hmmm... maybe that last question could be foreshadowing...**

**I hope the first chapter wasn't too bad and I'll try to update with the second one soon! Once again... Review!**

**-TaCo**

**P.S I don't have a beta so if anyone is able to help me I'd really appreciate it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for all the support from everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted! It's thanks to you guys that I'm uploading this chapter so quickly. Well, that and the fact that it was already written... But we'll just go with the first reason, yeah?**

**In reply to reviews:**

**Guest: I'm glad you thought it was great but maybe next time you could tell me why you thought it was so good? It would be very helpful and much appreciated.**

**Yorkie: I'm like that too, I love writing cliffhangers, but I don't like reading them! Nice to know you enjoyed my story, thanks for reading! Here's your update...**

**Bunny65: Thanks for reading! Your suggestion for the name was good, it was one I got from many people. Unfortunately, I didn't use it so you'll have to read on to find out his name.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Lily Icerem for her amazing and motivating review!**

**DISCLAIMER: I had the best dream ever last night! I owned the rights to Alex Rider! Sadly, it was just that, a dream.**

CHAPTER 2 – Reporting For Duty

Blunt was sitting behind his desk flipping through a file that lay in front of him. Every so often he would turn to the computer that sat on the desk and type information from the file. He was interrupted from his methodic work when there was a knock on the door. Before he could call out for the person to come in or to come back later the door was opened and Mrs Jones entered carrying a thick folder.

"What is it Mrs Jones?" Blunt asked, somewhat annoyed to have been interrupted.

"There has been an update on the file of Alex Rider," Mrs Jones replied.

Blunt frowned. "An update on Agent Rider? WIthout consulting me?"

Mrs Jones nodded but didn't answer any of his questions.

"Well, what is it?" Blunt demanded impatiently.

Instead of speaking Mrs Jones placed the folder she was holding on the desk and slid it over to her superior. He grabbed the folder and immediately opened it to the last page, expecting the update to be at the end of file – it was in chronological order after all.

"Front page," Mrs Jones said shortly.

Blunt turned to the first page - where the agent's details were - and stared in shock at what he saw. One word was stamped beside the name Alex Rider in red ink. Deceased.

"When?" Blunt asked, his voice as unemotional as always.

"An hour ago. On the way to Brecon Beacons,"

"How?"

"There was a car crash..." Mrs Jones trailed off uncertainly.

"Someone arranged it, the crash wasn't an accident." It wasn't a question, Blunt knew someone had tried to kill Alex – and succeeded.

Mrs Jones answered anyway. "Yes, we suspect Scorpia, but we have no way to prove it."

Blunt turned his attention to the computer again. "There's no point investigating. He's dead already, they won't try again."

Mrs Jones recognised the dismissal and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door Blunt spoke. "I suggest you call the Sergeant at Brecon Beacons, he'll need to know."

Mrs Jones nodded. "While I do that, you should call Miss Starbright. She'll want to know what happened."

For several minutes after Mrs Jones had gone Blunt stayed still, staring at the phone with something akin to fear in his eyes before he sighed and picked it up to inform Jack Starbright of the tragic news.

* * *

Wolf, Snake, Eagle and Leopard stood to attention in front of the Sergeant's desk. The Sergeant himself sat behind the desk studying the men in front of him.

"At ease soldiers," the Sergeant commanded and the four soldiers immediately relaxed their stance but stayed alert.

It was silent for a few minutes before Wolf glanced at his teammates and cleared his throat. "You wanted to see us, sir?"

The Sergeant nodded. "I have received an update on Cub's status. I thought you'd want to know about it."

"Cub?" asked Leopard who hadn't met the 15 year old spy.

"He was our unofficial 5th member," Snake explained.

"Sir, what was the update on Cub?" Wolf asked.

The Sergeant turned to look out the window behind him. "He was coming here to train, as you already know. He will unfortunately not be coming anymore."

"Unfortunately?" Eagle asked. Everyone at camp had thought that the Sergeant didn't want Cub training with them, they had thought he didn't like the teen.

Snake however hadn't been listening to _what_ he said so much as _how_ he said it. Was that sadness in his voice? "What happened to Cub, sir?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

The Sergeant took a deep breath and turned back around to face the four men. "I just had a call from Mrs Jones, deputy head of MI6 Special Operation. He was in a car accident-"

"Is he alright?"

"Is he hurt?"

"When was this?"

"He's dead isn't he."

Wolf, Eagle and Leopard turned to stare at Snake in shock.

"Of course he's not dead-" Wolf began, only to be interrupted by the Sergeant.

"Yes."

Before anyone could comment there was a knock on the door.

"Come back later!" called the Sergeant. "I'm busy!"

There was the sound of muffled voices outside the door and then the secretary spoke. "There is someone here to see you, sir."

The Sergeant almost growled. "I'm busy, they will have to come back later!"

There was the sound of muffled voices again, quickly followed by scuffling. Then the door was opened and somebody slipped inside, closing the door behind them.

"What the hell is going on here!?" the Sergeant shouted. "What part of 'I'm busy' do you not understand! You have one month of kitchen duty!"

"Someone's in a bad mood," Eagle muttered, trying to inject some humour into the situation. He was swiftly silenced by Wolf elbowing him in the stomach.

The soldier in the doorway smirked slightly but the it quickly slipped from his face. "Sir-" he began.

"I don't want to hear you lousy excuses! Get out!"

The soldier sighed quietly. "I see you haven't changed a bit." he glanced at K-unit who were trying to subtly sneak glances at him - key word being _trying_. "Any of you."

His words made everyone stop and stare at him.

The man stepped forward slightly and gave a mock salute. "Fox of K-unit reporting for duty, sir."

* * *

**(This was going to be part of the next chapter but I decided to add it in here or it would have been too short.)**

Jack Starbright was sitting down to lunch with her parents when the phone rang. He father got up to answer it in the hallway but a moment later he appeared in the doorway again.

"It's for you Jack," he said. "Somebody from England I think."

Jack jumped up excitedly. The only person who would call her from England was Alex.

"Hello, Alex?" she asked upon picking up the phone.

"Miss Starbright? It's-"

"Blunt," Jack interrupted, her voice turning angry. "What the hell do you want? You better have a damn good reason as to why you're calling me, and why I shouldn't hang up the phone right now!"

Blunt cleared his throat. "It's about Alex Rider."

That was a good enough reason for Jack and she felt dread settle in the pit of her stomach as Blunt continued talking. "I regret to inform you that there was a car accident earlier this morning that he was involved in."

"Oh my god," Jack breathed. "Is he alright?" _Please don't be dead! Please don't be dead!_

There was a pregnant pause. "I'm sorry Miss Starbright," Blunt didn't sound sorry. "Alex is dead."

Jack froze. Her mouth formed words but no sound came out. She wanted to scream at him, tell him it was all his fault, but she couldn't. Blunt was still talking but she couldn't hear him, his previous words kept replaying over and over in her head; _Alex is dead._

Dimly she was aware that she had fallen to her knees and that she was crying. Her parents were calling her name but it sounded distant. The room began to tilt and sway as darkness lurked on the edges of her vision. Her vice like grip on the phone slackened as she gave in to the darkness.

* * *

**AN: Wow, I finally completed it! It was looking really short and pathetic until I added that last bit. Yay! K-unit have entered the story! Just to clear something up for the next chapter, K-unit were told that Fox got binned.**

**Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days. Until then... please take some time to reply to these questions!**

**-Do you think Alex really is dead? If not, why not?**

**-Why is Fox 'reporting for duty' at the SAS camp?**

**-How will K-unit react to Fox?**

**-Was Scorpia really responsible for the car crash?**

**-Will Jack get on the next plane to England so she can find and kill Blunt?**

**-Will Blunt get 'punishment' because Alex died?**

**I'd love to hear your answers in a review! *hint hint***

**-TaCo**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Almost as soon as I posted the last chapter I had so many reviews. Thanks so much guys! There is a slight reference to Scorpia Rising in this chapter, see if you can spot it as it may be important later in the story.**

**Reply to reviews:**

**hello: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm so happy that you love the writing and plot line so much. Here's the next chapter for you. Time to find out if Alex is really dead :)**

**Niki: Thank you so much! Some of your questions were so close to the truth I was worried that you'd read my mind :D**

**Guest: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm really happy that you thought it was so good :D Congratulations, you were my 10th reviewer! That means that you get a chapter (this one) dedicated to you! I hope you enjoy!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Guest who was my 10th reviewer for this story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I just posted my 5th letter to Anthony Horowitz to ask for the rights to Alex Rider. I'll probably be denied... again.**

CHAPTER 3 – Questions and Answers

Sunlight was streaming through the gap in the curtains. It's warm rays dancing across the room to rest upon the bed. A figure, a young boy, lay sleeping on the bed. As the sunlight shone onto his face he slowly woke up and opened his eyes, revealing chocolate brown orbs.

Beside the bed another figure, this one a man, sat in an arm chair. He was snoring softly as he slept, and was therefore unaware of the boy waking up. The boy stretched and sat up. He felt as though he had been asleep for a long time, days, possibly weeks.

As his grogginess cleared he became aware of his surroundings, introducing him to the fact that he wasn't in his own room. His gaze flickered around the room, looking for something that would give him some clue as to where he was. His eyes fell on the man sleeping in the chair beside him.

Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out, as one might with a frightened puppy. Before his hand could so much as brush against the man's arm, he was pulled out of the bed. His head connected with the wooden floor and for a moment he was dazed. He heard muffled swearing and then he was pulled off the floor.

"Alex!" the man exclaimed. "Your awake!"

Alex just glared at him. "Thank you, I wasn't aware of that fact." His words were delivered with a large amount of sarcasm.

The man ignored him. "You've been unconscious for almost three days, I was starting to wonder whether you'd wake up at all."

Alex didn't reply as he got out of bed and walked over to his bag. It must have been rescued from the car as it was placed at the end of his bed. He quickly selected an outfit and went into the bathroom to change. Two minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, dressed in an army uniform.

The man had left the bedroom but Alex could hear him moving around down the hallway so he grabbed his bag and followed the noise to a kitchen.

"Is there any food?" Alex asked. He suddenly realised how hungry he was because he hadn't eaten since the phone call from 'the bank', three days ago.

The man nodded enthusiastically as he opened the fridge door. "What would you like?"

Alex peered inside the fridge and saw many things, including a large victorian sponge cake

"Just a sandwich," he replied. "I have to leave soon."

The man sent Alex a curious look but didn't comment as he busied himself making the sandwich.

A short while later Alex was finishing off his sandwich and doing a mental checklist of the things he needed. Once deciding he had everything, he got up and placed his plate in the sink. The whole time the man was silently leaning against the counter watching him.

Alex picked his bag up from the floor and walked over to the back door. "Thanks you." he said quietly.

The man dipped his head slightly and when he looked up again Alex was gone.

"Bloody spies," he muttered.

* * *

_`74... 75... 76..._

Fox counted in his head as he did the required 150 push ups. It had been two days since he'd walked into the Sergeant office and shocked everyone in the SAS with his presence. Since then he had rejoined K-unit, and been subjected to an interrogation. He vividly remembered what had happened as soon as they were dismissed by the Sergeant.

***flashback*******

_The five soldiers left the Sergeant's office and walked to their hut in silence. Fox glanced nervously at his teammates as they all sat on their beds. An extra cot had been shoved into corner for Fox and he dropped his bag on it before turning to leave the hut. The tension in the air could have been cut with a blunt knife and he needed to get away._

"_Where do you think you're going?" Wolf demanded._

_Fox turned around slowly, taking the few extra seconds to arrange his face into an emotionless mask. "I wasn't aware I had to tell you whenever I wanted to go for a walk."_

_Snake spoke before Wolf could. "Sit down Fox. We need to talk."_

_Fox sighed. It looked like the interrogation was going to come sooner than he had wanted. As much as he wanted to escape, he knew that he owed them at least some answers. He reluctantly sat down on his bed but refused to look at his teammates. "I suppose you want answers?"_

"_You were binned." Fox forced himself not to turn his head to the side to look at Eagle. "You just left. You didn't even say goodbye."_

"_What did you do? We saw you go with the Sergeant but that was it. Rumours were spreading for weeks afterwards but nobody ever found out the truth," Wolf said._

"_Ah..." Fox frantically searched his brain for the cover story that he MI6 had supplied him with._

"_Why are you here?" Leopard spoke for the first time. "I mean, if you were binned you wouldn't be allowed back... right?"_

"_Right," Wolf answered for him._

"_Which means you weren't binned. Which means you lied to us," Eagle accused._

_Fox sighed. There was no way he could avoid this now. "Your right, I wasn't binned."_

"_You just _left_?" Snake asked disbelievingly. "I didn't think you could do that..."_

"_You can't," muttered Wolf._

_Fox glanced at each member of K-unit but they were all watching him in anticipation for his reply. He wouldn't be finding an excuse to avoid answering the question from any of them. Briefly his eyes flickered to the door but not interruptions came from there either._

"_I didn't just leave, in fact I didn't have much choice in the matter at all," Fox admitted. "I was recruited by MI6."_

_Wolf, Snake and Eagle were staring at him with a mixture of shock and anger. Leopard was just watching him curiously, although there was a hidden fury in his eyes. For several minutes nobody spoke and Fox warily studied each of his teammates. He was surprised when Eagle stood up slowly and walked towards the door before turning abruptly and swinging his fist towards his face. Even though Fox could have blocked the punch, he didn't. _

_Fox gingerly raised a hand to his jaw and could feel a massive bruise already forming. "I guess I deserved that," he muttered. He was unprepared for Wolf to punch him in the arm; hard. He tried to hide the wince as a jolt of pain went down his arm from his bullet wound*. "And that."_

_Snake was standing in front of him now, analysing him as though looking for the best place to hurt him. Fox waited expectantly for the medic to hit him as well but it never happened._

"_That might need medical attention, probably an ice-pack," Snake observed. Then he simply turned around and lay back down on his bed to continue reading._

_Fox thought he'd finished with the interrogation but he'd forgotten about Leopard. "I've heard about you," he said quietly. "'The Legendary Fox'. Personally, I don't see why you're so special, especially now that I know you abandoned your unit to work for those bastards at MI6."_

_As soon as Wolf, Snake, Eagle and Leopard had begun ignoring him he had escaped from the hut with only one thought clear in his mind. '_It could have been worse.'

*******end ****flashback***

Since then, his unit had only spoken to him when they had to. In return, Fox had avoided them at all costs. After learning that he'd gone to work for MI6, Leopard had taken every opportunity to make his stay at the SAS camp hell. The man seemed to have a deep hatred for MI6, as well as anyone and anything associated with them.

Fox's jaw was still painful and there was a large purple bruise covering the wounded area. Thankfully, his arm wasn't as sore and the bruise had faded to dull yellow/green colour, although his bullet wound still throbbed occasionally. Almost everyone had asked about the bruise but he had brushed them off with evasive answers.

By this time, Fox had finished the push ups and had started doing sit ups.

_7... 8... 9... 10... 11_

"Fox!" His counting was interrupted by another soldier coming towards him. "The Sergeant wants to see you."

Thankful for the excuse to stop doing sit ups and to get away from his teammates he followed the soldier to the Sergeant's office. He knocked politely before entering, immediately standing at attention in front of the Sergeant's desk and saluting. Once his salute had been returned and he had been ordered to stand at ease Fox relaxed slightly.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Have a seat Fox," the Sergeant said, gesturing to a chair opposite him.

It was only his spy training that stopped Fox from gaping in shock. The Sergeant never offered soldiers a seat; never. Hesitantly he sat in the offered chair, this could not be good.

The Sergeant studied the man across from him before speaking. "Is there something you want to tell me Fox?"

Fox blinked in surprise. "I'm not quite sure I understand, sir."

"Did something happen with you and K-unit?"

"No, sir. Nothing happened."

The Sergeant slammed his fist down on the table in front of him. "Do you think I'm stupid Fox? Everyone in this camp has noticed the tension between you guys!"

Fox stayed silent and the Sergeant sighed. "You have until the end of the week to fix the problem or I'm going to move you to a different unit. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Fox replied automatically. He knew he wouldn't try though. Right now, getting separated from K-unit would be the best thing to ever happen to him.

**AN: Well, that was really hard to write. Trust has been broken and the friendship between K-unit and Fox is suffering because of it. One a good note, we finally heard from Alex, he is alive after all – not that you guys actually thought he was dead :D! Things are FINALLY starting to happen! I was wondering, is anyone interested in a story about Fox getting 'binned'? If so could you mention it in a review? Thanks for reading!**

***Fox's bullet wound is the one from Snakehead incase anyone wasn't sure**

**Once again, here are the questions:**

**-Who was the mysterious man that helped Alex?**

**-Will the friendship between Wolf, Snake, Eagle and Fox be rebuilt?**

**-Why does Leopard hate MI6 so much?**

**-Where is Alex going? When will we see him again?**

**-Why did Mrs Jones tell Blunt that Alex was dead?**

**Please send me a lovely – or not lovely, it's your choice – review with your answers!**

**The next chapters might not be updated as quickly as these first few but it shouldn't be too much more of a wait.**

**-TaCo**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: ****Hello again! ****I know that this update wasn't quick but it's not really late... right? ****Okay, maybe it is... ****I have a legitimate reason though! I had to go ****away**** for over a week and I didn't have much time to write. ****I**** found this chapter really hard to write and I don't really like it that much. Anyway, enough of my boring opinions! :****)**** Onto the story!**

**Reply to reviews:**

**hello: Thanks for reading and reviewing again. You'll find out more about Mrs Jones in this chapter.**

**Jesusfreak200: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like my story :) Here is the next chapter...**

**luv2readgirl: Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing! I was suffering from writers block but your review gave me inspiration and I was able to finish this chapter.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Albany, my 20th reviewer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I saw a shooting star and wished that I owned Alex Rider. Sadly my wish didn't come true and the rights still belong to Anthony Horowitz.**

* * *

CHAPTER 4 - New Arrivals

… _Due to your recent actions involving Alex Rider I have been forced to remove you from your position as head of Military Intelligence: Sector Six – Special Operations... You have five days to tell your colleagues that you will be retiring. I expect you to be out of your office by the end of the week..._

Alan Blunt read the letter for the third time. When he had come back from his lunch break the nondescript white envelope had been waiting for him in his inbox. He had skimmed through it, thinking it was something unimportant, but had quickly reread it in more detail; three times. He couldn't believe it. He had been fired! All because of a kid!

He scrunched the paper into a ball and threw it will all his might at the rubbish bin. There was a soft _thump _as the paper hit the metal bin before it burst into flames*. Before he could find another helpless object to take his anger out on there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Blunt called out.

When his secretary stepped into the office he was once again emotionless. She hesitantly held out a plain white envelope. "Sir, this was just dropped off."

Blunt wordlessly accepted the envelope and the secretary scurried out of the office. He carefully broke the seal and pulled the letter out. His eyes scanned the first paragraph before his hand clenched into a fist.

The letter began;

_Alan Blunt,_

_You are receiving this second letter because I believe that by now you would have incinerated the previous one..._

And went on to repeat exactly what the other one had said. It finished;

… _I would greatly appreciate it if you would not burn this copy_

_regards,_

_Prime Minister**_

Blunt glared furiously at the letter for a minute as though his eyes could burn a whole through the paper. He sent a contemplative glance towards the rubbish bin before swivelling round on his chair and putting the letter in the shredder.

* * *

Mrs Jones smiled to herself as she left Mr Blunt's office. Her superior had called her in to inform her that he had decided to retire. Apparently he had been thinking about it for a few weeks and the death of Alex Rider had convinced him that it was the right thing to do. Mrs Jones knew better.

After she had told Blunt that Alex had died Mrs Jones had gone back to her office, poured a glass of champagne, and congratulated herself on a job well done. The only flaw in her plan had been convincing Blunt that Alex really was dead, and that problem had been solved. After all, he couldn't ask questions if he no longer worked for MI6.

Once she reached her office Mrs Jones sat down behind her desk and picked up the phone. She had to call Smithers and make sure that Alex had recovered alright. Then it would be time to start phase two of her plan.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise when the Sergeant finished his rounds and returned to his cabin. He was surprised to find a young man waiting outside. The man was wearing an SAS uniform but the Sergeant didn't recognise him as one of his soldiers. As he approached the man looked up and stepped forward.

"Good morning, sir." he greeted.

The Sergeant studied him for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. "I wasn't expecting you so soon. Why don't we talk in my office?"

The man nodded and followed him into his office before speaking. "Did Mrs Jones explain everything?"

"Yes," the Sergeant answered. "From now on your codename is Cheetah and you will be a part of E-unit."

Cheetah smiled. "Thank you, sir."

The Sergeant waved him off. "It's the least I could do to help."

Cheetah opened his mouth to say something but the Sergeant spoke before he could. "You had better hurry if you want to find your unit before breakfast."

Without a word Cheetah turned and left the office to find E-unit.

* * *

When Cheetah left the office he was surprised to find Fox waiting for him outside. As soon as he stepped through the door Fox pulled him into a brief hug.

Cheetah grinned. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. Shouldn't you be with your unit?"

As soon as Cheetah said 'unit' he noticed Fox tense up. He frowned. When he'd been in the SAS Fox had always said that they'd got along well, which meant...

"I wouldn't exactly call them my unit."

… something bad had happened.

Cheetah sighed. "Come one, lets go and get breakfast. You can tell me all about it while we eat."

Without waiting for a reply he turned and started walking toward the mess hall, expecting Fox to follow.

* * *

Fox had already left by the time K-unit stumbled out of bed and got dressed. When they arrived at the mess hall five minutes later they found him sitting at a table with another soldier. The mysterious man seemed to be telling an animated story while Fox listened attentively. Curious as to who the stranger was, K-unit grabbed their 'food' and went over to the table.

Fox glanced up as K-unit approached, but he quickly returned his gaze to the soldier beside him and didn't say anything. The other soldier continued telling his story as though he hadn't noticed K-unit arriving. It wasn't until Wolf cleared his throat that either man acknowledged them.

"Who are you?" Wolf demanded. Fox almost rolled his eyes at the bluntness of the question.

The unknown soldier grinned slightly. "You guys must be K-unit. Wolf, Snake, Eagle and Leopard, right?" He was looking at Wolf but the question was directed towards Fox.

K-unit shared confused glances before Wolf nodded. "Yeah, but you never answered my question. Who are _you_?"

"Ladybug of E-unit," the man deadpanned, holding out his hand.

K-unit stared at 'Ladybug' in confusion, unsure whether they should believe him or not. Before any comments could be made Fox reached over and slapped 'Ladybug' across the back of the head.

"Ow," 'Ladybug' yelped, glaring at Fox. "What the hell was that for?"

"You said you'd be serious! You promised that you wouldn't do anything!" Fox said.

"But Ben! That was before you said- Ow!" 'Ladybug' was cut off mid-sentence as Fox once again slapped him across the back of the head.

"Shut up, _Will_. I've already told you, my name is _Fox_!"

There was a brief silence until Eagle spoke. "Is Ladybug really your codename?"

'Ladybug' glanced at Fox before answering. "No." He held out his hand. "Cheetah of E-unit. It's a pleasure to meet you."

If anyone noticed the undertone of sarcasm in his voice when he said 'Pleasure to meet you' they didn't mention it. Eagle studied Cheetah as he shook his hand. He thought that he looked familiar but he couldn't place were he'd seen him before. Before Eagle could ask Cheetah if he knew him Snake spoke up.

"You're in E-unit? Where are they? Why aren't you with them?"

Cheetah shrugged. "I haven't found them yet, Fox offered to help me."

Leopard stepped forward. "We can take you to your unit. They have hand-to-hand combat with us in five minutes."

Cheetah shook his head and replied with a smile that almost hid the icy quality of his voice. "No thank you, I already accepted Fox's offer."

With those final words he stood up to leave. Fox didn't hesitate to follow and the two left the mess hall without looking at K-unit. Unknowingly Cheetah had just placed himself in the middle of the battle going on between K-unit and Fox. Wolf vowed that he would stop Cheetah from spending time with Fox, and Fox vowed that he would keep Cheetah away from K-unit so that he didn't do something stupid.

If only they knew how hard it would be.

* * *

Even though it was only eight o'clock in the morning, Heathrow Airport was bustling with activity. Large groups of tourists were crowding around the information help desk, talking and laughing loudly. In the middle of the crowd a red haired American woman was pushing her way through the throng to get to the front doors.

Once outside she took a deep breath of the cold air and smiled. Jack Starbright was back, and she had a job to do.

* * *

**AN: I FINALLY finished it! I hope this chapter was worth the long wait. It would have been up sooner if I hadn't gone away. Which reminds me... Has anyone been watching the Australian Open? If you have I'd love to hear about who you're going for! I'm a major Gilles Simon fan :D Also, this might be the last chapter for quite a while, it depends whether or not I can get another chapter done this week. If I don't update for several weeks it's not because I've forgotten this story, it's because of school. I'll try and write one more chapter this week though.**

*** Did anyone else see the irony in this? I didn't even mean to do it...**

**** I have no idea who the PM is or how the government works as I'm not British so the PM is going to remain nameless... for now...**

**As always, here are the questions:**

**- What is phase two of Mrs Jones' plan?**

**- Who is Cheetah? Why does Fox seem to know him?**

**- Is the Sergeant in on the plan?**

**- Is Fox part of the plan?**

**- What will Blunt do now that he isn't the head of MI6?**

**- What is the job Jack has returned to do?**

**- Has Eagle seen Cheetah before? If so, where?**

**Please leave a review with your answers and any other general feedback!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-TaCo**

**P.S: I'm still looking for a beta so if you can help me could you please mention it in a review or PM me?**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Warning in advance; I know absolutely nothing about karate and pressure points. The references/terms in here are thanks to google. Yay for google! I don't know how I'd live without it...**

**Replies to reviews:**

**Guest****: You'll learn more about Cheetah's identity in this chapter. Sorry to confuse you with the question about Eagle knowing Cheetah. There was a part where Eagle thought he recognised Cheetah, so the question was asking whether he had seen him before or not. I hope that makes more sense.**

**Zabhua****: I'm so thrilled that you loved the chapter! I must agree with your view on the Simon/Monfils match – my brother and I were laughing! I like David Ferrer as well! I don't really support him but I'd be really happy if he won. I'm not sure if I watched the Wawrinka/Djokovich match. I don't really like Djokovich. Okay, about the story :D... All your answers were very good! So good in fact that I just ****_had _****to add in your answer to question 5! I hope you don't mind. I wasn't going to add in the part with Jack but I really wanted to end a part about her with that line and it fitted best at the end of the chapter. I'm really glad you thought it was good!**

**Niki****: Thank you so much for the review! I can understand the travelling excuse – I've been away more than I've been home these holidays! I do love to keep my readers on there toes – unexpected twists are what make a story entertaining! It would be quite boring if you could work out what was going to happen :D Thanks for answering the questions, it's really helpful seeing how readers interpret things. Some of the answers are revealed in this chapter but not all of them. Your view on the 'Who is Cheetah?' question was quite unique. Most people just said that it had to be Alex, but your answer is more detailed and much closer to the truth.**

**Guest****: Pretty much everyone said that Cheetah is Alex but I'm a sadistic kinda author and made it much more complicated than that! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I've recently learnt that wishing on falling stars doesn't actually work, as the rights to Alex Rider still belong to Anthony Horowitz :(**

CHAPTER 5 – Photos, Coffee and Identities

Jack Starbright wasn't mad. No, she'd passed mad a long time ago, now she was downright _furious. _After an agonisingly slow taxi ride from the airport to the Chelsea house where she had lived with Alex and Ian she found that the door was locked... and the spare key wasn't hidden behind the loose board anymore. Dismissing the idea that it could have been hidden somewhere else, Jack concluded that MI6 had taken it to prevent her from entering the house. This just fuelled her determination to find Blunt and show him exactly why he shouldn't mess with her.

With that thought in mind Jack had slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and headed off the tube station. Her bad luck continued to show through when she arrived just after the train had left... and it would be twenty-five minutes before the next one arrived. Refusing to be daunted Jack had sat and waited for the train, which was how she managed to almost be the victim of a pickpocket. It was then that she had the thought 'At least my day can't get any worse'.

This thought just served to jinx her though, as thirty-five minutes later – after having to stand for fifteen minutes on a hot, stuffy subway train – she stepped out of Liverpool St Station and was almost hit by a car. In desperate need of something to calm her frazzled nerves she went to get a coffee – which was way to hot and burnt her tongue. Needless to say, Jack was in an exceptionally bad mood by the time she made it to the Royal & General Bank. That could be why she reacted so badly to the news the receptionist gave her...

"He's _what!?_"

The receptionist – Mary, if he name-tag was anything to go by – glanced around nrevously. "I'm sorry miss, Mr Blunt no longer works here."

Jack felt a slightly hysterical laugh bubbling up but she squashed it down, determined to keep calm. "Is there any way I could get in contact with him? It's really urgent."

Mary typed something into her computer and then shook her head, giving Jack what was probably supposed to be an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry, but I don't have access to any of his contact details."

Jack almost growled with frustration. Not bothering to say goodbye, she turned around and stormed out of the lobby of the bank. Once outside she took the plastic lid off her styrofoam coffee cup in an attempt to cool down the liquid inside. It was because she was so focused on the coffee in her hands that she ran into someone, spilling coffee all over them.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm so-" She looked up at the man and abruptly stopped her apology. "Actually, no, I'm not."

Before the man could say anything Jack threw the rest of her scalding hot coffee over him, and then, for added satisfaction, she reached up and slapped him across the face; hard. Then she turned on her heal and strode away.

Alan Blunt was left standing on the side walk. He was so preoccupied gaping like a fish that he almost didn't notice the burning of the coffee on his skin. He did, however, notice all the passersby stop and laugh at him. That, and the fact that all the brochures he was holding were now ruined. In a very un-Blunt type display of emotion, he frowned.

At the same time that Jack Starbright's day became very good, Alan Blunt's became very bad.

* * *

Cheetah's unit-mates were waiting outside the shed used for hand-to-hand combat when Fox and Cheetah showed up. As soon as E-unit heard them coming they turned around, obviously expecting K-unit. One of them grinned at Fox and Cheetah immediately put him in his good books.

"Hey guys," Fox greeted. "This is your newest teammate, Cheetah."

Cheetah observed E-unit's reactions to the news. One of them looked angry, another looked curious and slightly confused, and the last one looked worried. Cheetah was immediately on alert; why would they be worried? He was just about to ask when Fox continued.

"The Sarge says he's only a temporary replacement."

Cheetah took note of the fact that his new unit-mates all breathed a sigh of relief. There was a story here, he knew it, and he would find out what it was. It was only then that he realised he didn't know their names. As if reading his mind one of the soldiers spoke.

"I'm Lynx, E-unit's leader." The man – Lynx – had mouse brown hair and striking emerald green eyes. He was tall, Cheetah guessed about 6'4.

The man on Lynx's right – the one who'd smiled at Fox – spoke next. "I'm Hawk, E-unit's medic." Hawk had light blonde hair and dark grey eyes. Cheetah estimated him to be about 6'2.

Cheetah turned slightly and looked expectantly at the last member of E-unit. He was shorter than Lynx and Hawk, about 5'11, with chocolate brown hair and golden-brown eyes. Unlike his unit-mates he didn't introduce himself, seeming to be preoccupied as he watched something over Cheetah's shoulder. Lynx nudged him, murmuring something that Cheetah couldn't hear, and he startled slightly.

Before anything else could be said they all heard footsteps and voices. A few seconds later K-unit appeared round the corner with the instructor. There was no more time to talk as they filed into the shed, but when they slipped through the doorway Cheetah's unknown unit member spoke softly to him.

"I'm Viper."

The almost silent words cut through Cheetah's thoughts and he momentarily paused his planning of revenge. When he realised why the name sounded so familiar he felt like repeatedly bashing his head against a concrete wall.

* * *

The Sergeant was not in a good mood. Ten minutes ago he'd been informed that four of his best soldiers had just been put in the infirmary. After demanding to know what had happened an instructor had said that they had been injured during hand-to-hand combat, and apparently it was Cheetah's fault. Now he was pacing behind his desk while E-unit and Fox stood opposite him. Abruptly he stopped pacing and turned to face the soldiers, a furious expression on his face.

"Would anyone care to tell me why all of K-unit were injured seriously enough to land them in the infirmary during a _training exercise_?" The Sergeant's voice was calm but there was an undertone of anger to it.

Cheetah opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again. The Sergeant had noticed though and he directed his best glare at him. "Do you have something to say Cheetah?" he asked.

Cheetah hesitated before answering in a quiet voice. "It wasn't all of K-unit, sir. Fox is here."

The room's occupants all turned to stare at him incredulously. Fox muttered something along the lines of 'That's all you can think of?' closely followed by a much quieter 'I'm not part of K-unit.".

To everyone's surprise the Sergeant smiled. "You're absolutely right Cheetah!" The smile disappeared. "But that's not what I wanted to know. Maybe you could tell me how Wolf, Snake, Eagle and Leopard ended up in the infirmary?"

"A roundhouse kick to the forehead, a kansetsu geri*, a shuto uchi** to a pressure point and a shote uchi*** to a pressure point."

Once again everyone in the room turned to stare at him incredulously but this time Cheetah ignored them.

The Sergeant massaged his temple in an attempt to relieve himself of the headache that was beginning. "Lynx, Hawk, Viper, you're dismissed. Fox, Cheetah, stay."

The three members of E-unit obediently filed out of the room and began making there way back to their cabin. Once the door had shut behind them the Sergeant studied the two remaining soldiers for a long moment before gesturing to the seats in front of his desk.

"Have a seat."

Fox accepted the seat but Cheetah continued to stand, a worried frown on his face. "Are you feeling alright, sir? That's the second time today that you've offered me a seat."

The Sergeant gave a growl much like Wolf's when he didn't have his coffee. "Shut up and sit down, Cheetah, or I'll have you run the assault course so many times you'll be more mud than human when you finish."

Cheetah gulped and hurriedly sat. Fox sent him an amused look at his theatrics and Cheetah grinned back at him. The Sergeant gave an exaggerated sigh and impatiently tapped his foot while he checked the time on his watch.

"If you two have finished?" Once receiving nods the Sergeant continued. "I need to talk to you about your positions in this camp."

Fox and Cheetah shared nervous glances and Fox voiced there concerns. "Have we done something wrong, sir?"

"Not necessarily," the Sergeant replied evasively. "Have you and K-unit sorted your problems out Fox?" Fox didn't reply, but that was all the answer he needed. "I didn't think so, do you remember the consequences of not solving the problem?"

"I'll be moved to another unit, sir," Fox replied.

The Sergeant nodded. "The only other unit I have who can have tagalongs-" Cheetah and Fox frowned at the term. "- is E-unit." The Sergeant paused to see if they'd pick up on the issue but, much to his annoyance, they didn't.

"So?" asked Cheetah.

In reply the Sergeant opened one of the draws in his desk and pulled out a book. He thumbed through it until he came to the page he was looking for and then he passed it to the two soldiers. Cheetah took the book and glanced at the cover, it was the SAS handbook. Sending a confused glance towards the sergeant he turned back to the page that was marked and read through it. About ten seconds later he'd found what he was looking for and he wordlessly handed the book to Fox.

Fox glanced at the heading, _Rules Pertaining To Units_, and looked at the list of rules; _Rule 1: Family members are not allowed to be in the same unit. _Immediately he looked up, ready to argue his case, but Cheetah beat him to it.

"But, sir-"

"No buts," the Sergeant interrupted. "Fox, go pack up your stuff."

"I can't!" Fox protested. "I'm under Mrs Jones' orders to stay here!"

The Sergeant pinned him with his best stare. "Benjamin Daniels-" Fox internally cringed at the lack of SAS codename. "- Go pack up you stuff, _now!_"

* * *

Mrs Jones just happened to be walking past the security room when she heard the guards on duty laughing. Curious as to what was so funny she opened the door and peered inside, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The new head of MI6: SO stepped into the room, ready to scold the guards for 'playing' on duty, but something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

When Mrs Jones turned her attention to the bank of monitors on the wall she too started laughing. It was a rare sight to see, the head was always so emotionless, but then again, it was also a rare sight to see Alan Blunt, former head of MI6: SO, have scalding hot coffee thrown over him by an angry red-head.

On his way to Mrs Jones' office John Crawley paused outside the door to the security room when he heard laughter. As curious as Mrs Jones had been, he opened the door and stared in shock at the sight that met his eyes. Glancing around Crawley pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the still laughing Mrs Jones. Then he hurried back to his office so he wouldn't be caught, thinking that if he wasn't a spy he might have posted the photos on Facebook.

Crawley almost laughed, Mrs Jones would have killed him.

* * *

"I know who he is!"

Everyone who was currently in the infirmary at Brecon Beacons – doctors, nurses and patients – all stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at the previously unconscious Eagle. Doctor Byrmes was the first to react and he gently took Eagle by the arm to guide him back to his room, scolding him about leaving the bed. Eagle refused to be taken though and he pulled his arm out of the doctor's grasp and ducked into the closest room, which just happened to occupy Snake.

"I know who he is Snake!" Eagle exclaimed.

Snake stared at Eagle in confusion, his eyes clouded from grogginess. "Who?"

"Cheetah," Eagle replied, as though it was obvious.

Snake frowned. "Cheetah?"

"Yes, yes, I thought I recognised him, and I do!"

The doctor had entered the room and he and Snake both looked at Eagle expectantly, but Eagle didn't continue. Snake gave a sigh of irritation. "Well, who is he?"

"I'm not sure-"

"For god's sake Eagle-" Snake interrupted.

Eagle continued undaunted. "-but he looks a lot like Fox."

* * *

**AN: Well, that was exciting! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks to Lily Icerem for the brilliant idea of Jack throwing coffee at Blunt, it really inspired me for this chapter! One last thing... I've had an amazing amount of reviews (thanks guys!), but not many people have answered my questions :( I'm really disappointed as the answers really do help to inspire me, and it makes the chapters get written faster. So please, please, please, please, answer my questions! It doesn't even have to be all of them, it could be two or three if that's all you want to answer!**

*** kansetsu geri is a knee/joint kick**

**** shuto uchi is a knifehand strike**

***** shote uchi is a palm strike**

**As always, here are the questions:**

**- What were the brochures Blunt was holding for?**

**- Why were Cheetah's unit-mates worried about him being a replacement?**

**- What's up with Viper? Why does Cheetah find his name familiar?**

**- How are Cheetah and Fox related?**

**- What will happen to Fox now?**

**- Is Cheetah really to blame for K-unit being in the infirmary? If so, what were his motives?**

**- What will Crawley do with the photos of Mrs Jones?**

**And for good measure I'm going to beg on last time... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here's the next chapter, much quicker than I intended! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Replies to Reviews:**

**Zanuha****: Thanks for reviewing! I read your answer to question 5 and thought you may have read part of this chapter, or I'd repeated myself! I'm trying to keep this short, and not long winded, so I'll just say that your answers were brilliant and very close. The answers to some are revealed in this chapter. Happy reading!**

CHAPTER 6 – Guns, Golf and Goodbyes

"This is ridiculous!"

"You think?"

"Well, I do actu-"

"I was being _sarcastic!_"

"I know, but-"

"Then why did you-"

"I just-"

"Can we focus?"

"Right, where were we?"

"This is ridiculous?"

"That's right. It's so unfair!"

"Do you think I don't know that?"

"You don't act like it!"

"That's because I've accepted that we can't do anything about it!"

"But why is he here?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"You're the leader!"

"So, you're the one who's all 'buddy buddy' with the Sergeant!"

"I am _not!_"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"SHUT UP!"

Hawk and Lynx snapped their mouth shut and turned to stare at Viper with innocent expressions. The man had always been quiet, but ever since... _the accident_... he'd hardly spoken at all. He'd never had a temper, and usually he was able to put up with and ignore his unit-mates arguing, but these days he'd just... snap. Lynx and Hawk had both learnt the hard way that when he snapped it was best to shut up and do as he said.

They were shocked to find Viper calmly sitting on his bed reading a book as though he hadn't said anything. It was then that they realised he hadn't said anything, and they turned their heads the other way to face the door in search of the voice who had spoken. Cheetah was standing just inside the doorway, holding an army issue duffel bag. He gestured to the spare bed in the room.

"Is this bed mine?" The answer was obvious but for some reason he'd still felt compelled to ask. Without waiting for an answer he crossed the small room to put his stuff on the bed, that's why the reply shocked him when it did come.

"You can sleep there."

The voice was hard and icy, and it undoubtedly belonged to Viper. For the second time in five minutes Hawk and Lynx whipped their heads around to stare at Viper, this time in shock.

"Whoa," whispered Hawk in awe. "You made him speak."

His remarked was swiftly followed by an elbow to the side from Lynx, a harsh glare from Viper and a raised eyebrow from Cheetah.

"I mean, ah, you made him speak more than two words, other than answering an order, and it's not common, because he's really quiet, but sometimes he speaks, and it's a great occasion..." Hawk trailed off when he realised that his hasty attempts to cover his mistake weren't working. Viper's glare had increased and he stormed of the hut.

"I'm sorry," Hawk mumbled apologetically.

"It's not me you should be apologising to," Lynx snapped. "Go fix it, now!"

Hawk almost ran out of the hut after his unit-mate. Once he'd gone Lynx turned to Cheetah, who had been sitting on his bed observing the scene with interest. From the look on Lynx's face he already knew what he was going to say and he quickly spoke up.

"Don't be."

Lynx blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"

"Don't be sorry," Cheetah elaborated. "It's not your fault."

Lynx was startled, _was this guy a mindreader or something?_

"No, I'm not, I'm just really good at reading expressions and body language."

Lynx thought his reason was much better, and he must have looked doubtful because Cheetah rolled his eyes. "Believe what you want, but it's true."

Lynx frowned. "Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't."

_Huh? _This guy was confusing.

"You just met me, I've intruded into your unit, and you know nothing about me," Cheetah explained. "You'd be stupid to believe me."

"So you were lying?" Lynx asked, completely baffled by the conversation.

Inwardly Cheetah smiled, _so he isn't denying that I intruded. _"I never said that."

Lynx growled in frustration. "Do you ever give a straight answer!?"

"Not usually."

This voice didn't come from Cheetah, and Lynx, once again, found himself turning towards the door to find out who had entered the conversation. The fading light showed Fox dressed in casual clothing with a duffel over one shoulder.

"Fox," Lynx greeted.

"Lynx," Fox returned.

"Ben," Cheetah said, standing up and moving towards the other man.

"Don't call me Ben."

"You're wearing civvies*, I'll call you whatever the hell I want to."

Ben frowned. The comment was so unlike the Cheetah he knew, and with more than a small amount of surprise, he realised that Cheetah was greatly affected by him leaving. With this newfound knowledge he smiled reassuringly and wrapped him in a hug.

"I'll be ok," he murmured into Cheetah's hair.

"You don't know that," Cheetah whispered back, his voice cracking slightly at the end, much to his embarrassment.

Fox pulled away so he could look down at Cheetah's face, but Cheetah refused to look up at him. "Will, look at me," Fox commanded. Cheetah still didn't look up though, and Fox nearly sighed in frustration. "Alex, look at me."

Cheetah's head snapped up, and any of the sadness that was present before was gone as he stepped back and focused his frosty gaze on Fox's face. "Don't call me that," he hissed.

Fox ignored him. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Cheetah shook his head. "You can't Fox, you're gone, there's nowhere here for you."

Fox smiled slightly. "You're wrong," he disagreed. "Jones wants me here, and you know very well that Jones always gets what she wants."

Cheetah jerked back as though he'd been slapped, and Fox immediately realised his mistake. He stepped forward, reaching for Cheetah, but the younger man pulled back, retreating further into the room. Hurt flashed across Fox's face and he tried again to fix his mistake.

"Will-" he began.

"Go away," Cheetah ordered.

Fox stubbornly refused to move. This proved to be a mistake when he found himself pushed against the wall, an arm against his throat, not ten seconds later.

"Go back to your _precious Jones_," sneered Cheetah. "And when you get there, tell her not to bother. Tell her that I don't want you to ever show your face in this camp again!"

As abruptly as it had happened Cheetah released his hold on Fox, and the man automatically reached up to massage his neck. He grabbed his bag from where he'd dropped it and turned towards the door, pausing to look over his shoulder before he left. Cheetah was watching and he glimpsed the look of fear in Fox's eyes before the spy turned to leave. He passed Viper and Hawk, who were standing outside the door, on his way out.

It was several long minutes later, after they'd all heard a car start and drive off when anyone dared to speak.

"What the hell was that?" Hawk asked.

Lynx shrugged and they each turned to look at their fourth member. Cheetah lifted his head from his hands and gave them a bitter smile. "_That_," he spat the word as though it was personally responsible for what had happened. "Was life."

Nobody missed the pained expression on his face before he dropped his head back into his hands.

"He called you Alex."

Surprisingly, the statement came from Viper who was studying Cheetah with a puzzled expression.

Cheetah stiffened and nodded. "He did."

"Why? Your name isn't Alex, it's Will," Viper continued.

Cheetah nodded again and lifted his head to pin Viper with a blank stare. "William Alexander Daniels."

"You're brothers?" Hawk asked.

"Cousins."

"You're really close for cousins." Viper observed.

Cheetah didn't reply to the unasked question in the statement, even though they all knew he'd heard it.

"Why don't you let him call you Alex?" Lynx took over the interrogation.

"My parents... they called me Alex," Cheetah whispered hoarsely.

Lynx, Viper and Hawk exchanged glances. _So his parents were dead? _Viper glanced back over at Cheetah, and it could have been a trick of the light, but in that moment he looked vulnerable, young. He blinked, and it was gone.

* * *

Alan Blunt methodically folded and packed clothes into a suitcase that was a dull and grey as the clothing that were being placed in it. His routine of folding grey pants, after grey pants, was ruined when he came across a brightly coloured polo-shirt. The shirt had a logo of a gold club hitting a ball into the sunset, and underneath it said 'P.G.A.L', which Blunt knew stood for Professional Golf Association of London**. The only reason he knew this interesting piece of trivia was because he'd been a member, but that had been a long time ago.

Blunt briefly wondered how the shirt had ended up in the basket of washing, it was much too small for him, and he hadn't worn it in several years. The fond memories of his time in the P.G.A.L had sparked something inside of him though, and suddenly he had the urge to go out and play golf. Blunt walked towards the wardrobe and carefully hung the old shirt inside, but he took a detour via the chester draws on his way back to the bag and grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt. Maybe he'd play a game of golf while he was on holiday in Bermuda, just for old times sake.

Hidden just out of sight in the hallway, his wife smiled. Sandra Blunt congratulated herself on a job well done as she returned to the kitchen. It seemed that it was in fact possible to manipulate the master of manipulation.

Almost thirty years ago when Sandra had first met Alan it had been at a golfing tournament. She'd instantly been attracted to the warm, easy going man, but now he was different. She didn't know what had caused the difference but she was hoping that he would change if he returned to playing golf again. It had been something that he had loved before he'd taken his stupid job as a banker and all his time had been taken up.

What Sandra Blunt couldn't possibly know however, was that her husband was well beyond repair. Not even his love of golf could save him.

* * *

"They're gone."

Doctor Byrmes looked up from the report he was writing at the sound of the nurse's voice.

"Who are gone?" he asked.

"K-unit," The nurse – Lynda – replied. "I was doing my rounds and none of them are in their rooms."

Dr Byrmes swore under his breath as he jumped up and rushed out of the room. The nurse was right, and ten minutes later – after thoroughly searching the infirmary – he reluctantly knocked on the Sergeant's door to inform him of his missing soldiers.

"Come in!"

The doctor swallowed nervously and pushed open the door. The Sergeant was sitting behind his desk, drinking a cup of coffee and reading reports. He looked up, frowning slightly, as the Dr Byrmes approached him. He knew from experience that doctors very rarely brought good news to his office.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" the Sergeant asked, noticing the way that the man's eyes flickered around the room, never resting on anything, and avoiding his face.

"We have a problem, sir," Doctor Byrmes' began. "Three of the soldiers have gone missing."

"Missing?" questioned the Sergeant.

"Yes, sir."

"When? Who was it?" the Sergeant demanded, although he already had an idea of who exactly it was.

"One of the nurses was doing her rounds when she noticed that none of K-unit were in their rooms, sir," the Doctor hurriedly explained, wanting to get out of the office as soon as possible.

However, he knew that it would be a while before he went anywhere when the Sergeant frowned. "Have a seat."

"M-me?"

"Is there anyone else in the room?" the Sergeant asked, raising an eyebrow at the panicking doctor.

"N-no, sir. Only me, sir," Dr Byrmes stuttered, quickly sitting in the chair.

The Sergeant nodded and pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Jessica?"

"Yes, sir?" the secretary answered.

"Could you send someone for Nurse Lynda? I need to see her in my office."

"Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?"

"One more thing, could you please find out where K-unit are?"

"Yes, sir."

After that it was just waiting. Five minutes later Lynda arrived in the office and was waved into a seat beside the doctor. Almost fifteen minutes after that Jessica entered the room.

"I'm sorry sir, I was unable to locate any members of K-unit."

* * *

The only sound in the room was the scratching of pens on paper as the students finished the test. At the front of the room the teacher, Mr Donovan, sat at his desk, marking papers. In other classes students sat at desks, daydreaming about the weekend as they stared out the window, and pretending to listen to the teacher drone on. The students doing PE ran laps around the oval while the coach shouted orders at them. All in all, it was a very normal day at Brooklands Comprehensive. Staff taught, and students learnt, nothing exciting or out of the ordinary happened.

Until the sound of a gunshot rang out. Everything froze. The silence was so complete somebody could have heard a pin drop across the street. Nobody dared to breath, listening intently. Panic began to bubble to the surface and several students looked close to tears. And then the second gunshot rang out\.

Somebody screamed.

* * *

**AN: Another nice long-ish one! Did everyone like the Ben/Will interaction? I had so much fun writing it! We finally learnt about the connection between Fox and Cheetah, but are they really cousins? The idea of Blunt going to Bermuda and playing golf is thanks to Zabuha!**

*** Civvies is short for 'civilian clothes'**

**** The P.G.A.L is purely fictional. I wasn't feeling that creative so the name is quite boring (sorry!).**

**And, the questions...**

**- What is ****_'the accident'_****? Why did it affect Viper more than Hawk and Lynx?**

**- How will Mrs Jones react to Fox's return?**

**- Will Cheetah be able to forgive Fox?**

**- Why did Fox call Cheetah Alex?**

**- What happened to make Fox and Cheetah so close?**

**- Are Cheetah's parents really dead?**

**- What's happened to K-unit? Where are they?**

**- What's happened at Brooklands? Ar they under attack? If so, from who?**

**Once again, I'd really appreciate it if you could make an effort to answer at least two of the questions!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Here's the next chapter! (Finally!) I'm not going to bore you all with a long author's not so I'm just going to say one quick thing. I'm sorry that there's no Cheetah/E-unit in this chapter. I wanted it up quickly and didn't have time, plus they star in the next chapter...**

**Reply to Review:**

**Zabuha: Yes, I did know it was you. Thanks so much for answering the questions, they really helped me write this chapter! The thing that Fox said wrong was calling Cheetah Alex. It's wrong because he is no longer Alex Rider, he is now William Daniels, got it? Your second answer for question 8 was tempting to include, but it didn't really fit with the story. Your answer to question 7 however, inspired a part of this chapter, so thanks! Your answer for Q: 1 was quite detailed, and it's a good theory, but unfortunately not correct. I'm really starting to wish you had an account as your reviews make me want to review asap! Thanks again!**

**This chapter is dedicated to my awesome beta alpha-wolf96. Thanks Wolfie!**

**DISCLAIMER: If I was Anthony Horowitz do you think I would be struggling to find time to write due to school? No, me neither.**

CHAPTER 7 – Arguments, Prisoners and Russians

The office was as dull and grey as Ben remembered it. The only difference was that the person behind the desk wasn't as dull and grey as Ben remembered them to be. Last time he'd seen the new deputy head he had been as cold and emotionless as his predecessor, now though, something was _different_. For a brief moment he thought he might have stepped into a parallel dimension, or he was actually dreaming. None of those options seemed likely though, I mean, he would have noticed... right?

Something on the edge of his vision caught his eye and he turned his head slightly to look at a pile of papers on the desk. Underneath the stack of official looking documents were several photos. From the little amount Ben could see, he deduced that they were of Mrs Jones. Which prompted the question; why would the deputy head have photos of his boss? Curiosity niggled inside of him and a determined glint appeared in Ben's eyes as he set a goal to investigate the pictures.

"-Agent Daniels, are you listening to me?"

Ben startled slightly, his eyes snapping back to land on the man's face. "Huh? Oh, yes, of course."

The man looked as though he didn't believe Ben but continued anyway. "You will be off duty for two weeks, until Mrs Jones can either find you another secure location or find an available safe house, with protection."

Ben frowned. "What about A-" He stopped himself, cursing himself for slipping up like that. It wasn't quick enough though, as the man knew what he was going to say anyway, and his eyes softened slightly.

Everyone with high enough clearance in MI6 had heard about the death of Alex Rider, and everyone knew that his partner, Ben Daniels, had suffered the most. Rumours had been going around that he'd been sent back to Brecon Beacons so that he wouldn't do something stupid, such as obtaining copious amounts of C4 and obliterating anything that remained of Scorpia. They were just rumours though, as Ben's presence at Brecon Beacons had all been part of Mrs Jones' plan – of course, nobody but Ben, Alex and Mrs Jones had known this.

"You're dismissed, Agent Daniels."

Ben nodded and stood up. He stumbled slightly and grabbed the edge of the desk to steady himself. Then he turned away from the man, moving silently towards the door. He reached out to grab the doorknob, and paused. "About Brecon Beacons... Did Mrs Jones-?"

The man sighed, running a hand over his face. "She said that you screwed up; bad. If you weren't already out of active duty, you would have been suspended."

Ben winced. "That's pretty bad..."

The man nodded in sympathy. "You should probably go, unless you want your meeting with her to be moved forward a day...?"

Ben wasted no more time in opening leaving the office, and hurrying out of the Royal & General Bank. As he walked down Liverpool Street his hand automatically moved down to pat his pocket. With a satisfied smile, and a quick glance around to make sure nobody was watching him, he pulled the photos he'd snatched from Crawley's desk out of his pocket. He had two weeks, two weeks to figure out how to blackmail the head of MI6:SO.

Ben groaned, he was so going to get fired, if not killed. He had to do it though, for Al- for _Will_.

It was a rare, warm, sunny day in London and not many vehicles were on the road as many people had taken the opportunity of good weather to walk. Westfield shopping centre* was crowded with people and car parks were filled almost to maximum capacity. Delivery trucks entered and exited through the back gates to pick up and drop off supplies. That's why nobody was suspicious when a coles'** delivery truck drove through the gates. If somebody had stopped and listened though, they would have heard voices coming from the truck. Nobody did though, so everyone stayed blissfuly unaware as to what was taking place.

"I think we're lost."

"For the _hundredth _time, _we are not LOST!_"

"Then where are we?" Eagle retorted.

"If I wasn't wearing a _blindfold _I might be able to tell you!" Wolf ground out, beyond frustrated with his teammate.

"So we _are_ lost."

Wolf growled. "I swear to god, Eagle, if you don't shut up _right _now, as soon as we get out of here I will personally make sure that you end up in a hospital _for the rest of your life!_"

Eagle gulped, and shut up. It was well known in the SAS that Eagle hated hospitals, and he tried to avoid them at all costs. So, even though Wolf's threat would have sounded un-threatening to anyone else, Eagle was terrified of what his unit leader would do.

"Ohh, you scared him Wolf!" Leopard mock scolded.

Wolf grunted in reply and, satisfied that Eagle wouldn't say anything else, leant back against the wall of wherever they were being held and tried to relax. He wasn't sure where they were, but from the movement and outside noises, he deduced that they were in the back of a moving vehicle, most likely a truck. Wolf, Leopard and Eagle were all conscious but they wasn't sure about Snake. Either, the man was unconscious, or he wasn't taking part in the conversation for fear of becoming Eagle's target. Wolf suspected the former, and a moment later his suspicions were confirmed when Snake awoke with a groan.

"Argh, where am I?"

"Think of the devil, and he shall appear," Wolf muttered to himself.

"We've been kidnapped!" Eagle exclaimed.

There was a pause as Snake processed what Eagle had said, and then...

"And you're _excited _by that!?" he asked incredulously.

"Well," Eagle began contemplatively. "I've never been kidnapped before. My friend in high school, his name was Matt-something-or-other, he was kidnapped once. I asked him what it was like, and he said that it was terrifying."

Wolf was now extremely confused. "So, you're excited _why_?"

"I wanted to see if he was right, so we made a bet on it. I said that if I ever got kidnapped I wouldn't be scared, he said I would be. I want to prove him wrong."

"And was he right?" Wolf wanted to slap Leopard as soon as he voiced the question.

"Nope! It's actually quite fun, being tied up and blindfolded, not knowing what's going to happen next. Almost like James Bond! Hey, wouldn't it be cool if James Bond rescued us!"

There was another brief silence as Wolf, Leopard and Snake attempted to formulate a reply through their drug clouded minds.

Leopard was the first to find his voice and reply. "I think it'd be cooler, and more likely, if Chuck Norris rescued us."

Eagle frowned, although none of his unit-mates could see it. "I think James Bond would be cooler..."

Wolf was saved from desperately trying to find a weapon he could use to hit Eagle over the head – although it will never be known whether it was to shut him up or get revenge for thinking anyone was cooler than Chuck Norris – when the vehicle stopped. A moment later they heard a door slam, footsteps, and then the back doors flew open.

"Rise and shine boys!"

Wolf growled. "We're not boys." There was a beat of silence and Wolf sensed everyone looking at him. "Okay, Eagle may be, but Snake and I aren't!"

"Hey! What about me!" Leopard yelped indignantly.

Wolf pretended to think about it for a minute before he answered. "Well, after that... outburst... I think you're as childish as Eagle."

The K-unit's immense surprise, their captor laughed. "I like you! You've got spirit!"

Wolf vaguely noticed that he had a foreign accent, maybe Russian? This was confirmed a moment later when he called out to somebody else in Russian.

"Что же босс говорил с ними делать теперь?" **[1]**

The reply came back almost immediately. "Дайте им деньги списка. Встретить их в два часа." **[2]**

The first man climbed into the back of the truck and began untying the three soldiers. Once they were untied Wolf, Snake and Eagle were ushered out of the back. Wolf was given a piece of paper, and a bundle of money was pressed into Snake's hand. The man then shut the back doors and got back into the front with his parter.

"Удачи!" Was shouted out the window as the truck sped off.

K-unit exchanged glances, utterly bewildered as to what had just happened. Leopard cleared his throat to break the awkward silence that had fallen.

"So what now?"

Wolf had been reading the piece of paper, and now he looked up, his trademark scowl on his face. "Now, we go shopping."

"Alex Rider, please report to the principal's office."

_What the hell? _Tom Harris thought. _Who are these guys? Don't they know that Alex is... _He swallowed. _...Gone?_

They obviously didn't as the message was repeated not even a minute later. Whispers were starting in the classrooms and Tom looked around, frantically trying to come up with a plan. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he stood up and walked to the classroom door. The teacher and students immediately started hissing questions and comments at him.

"Tom?"

"What are you doing?"

"Come back!"

"Where are you going?"

"Don't be stupid!"

Tom ignored them all, continuing to walk purposefully down the corridor. All too soon he reached the principal's office, and he took a deep breath to steel himself before he pushed the door open and entered. The sight that greeted him made Tom stop in his tracks. The principal's high-backed leather chair was facing away from him, and as soon as the door clicked shut behind Tom the chair slowly turned. The man sitting in it had blonde hair, so light that Tom suspected it had been bleached, and frosty blue eyes.

"I've been expecting you."

Tom couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. The sight was so cliché, as though he had walked onto the set of some corny action movie. The man in the chair obviously didn't find it quite so amusing though, if his threatening growl was anything to go by. Tom, however, was unperturbed and just laughed harder.

Almost fifteen minutes, and numerous threats later, Tom had finally calmed enough to speak. He didn't get the chance though, as the man beat him to it.

"You're not Alex Rider."

All traces of mirth disappeared from Tom's face at the mention of his best friends name. Even though it hadn't been a question, he answered with a shake of his head.

The man frowned. "Where is he?"

Tom crossed his arms. "I'll make you a deal. If you tell me your name, I'll tell you where Alex is."

The man thought about it for several minutes before agreeing. "You can call me Vladimir."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "You're Russian?"

"да" **[4]**

Tom cocked his head to the side, and looked quizzically at Vladimir. "Sorry mate, I don't speak Russian."

Vladimir frowned at the teen, who ignored him completely. Eventually, Tom spoke.

"Well, since you held up your end of the bargain, I guess I should hold up mine, ay?"

"I suppose you should," Vladimir growled.

Tom gave a feral grin. "Alex Rider... is dead."

**AN: I finally finished it! Sorry for the delay, I'm blaming writers block :( Here are the translations from the story... Do you guys prefer if I put them at the bottom of the story or if I write it in italics or bold where it's said?**

**[1] What did the boss say to do with them now?**

**[2] Give them the money and the list. Meet them in two hours.**

**[3] Good luck!**

**[4] Yes**

*** I'm not sure if there is a Westfield in London, if not could someone correct me with the name of one?**

**** For anyone who doesn't know, coles is a supermarket which sells groceries and stuff. Once again, if England doesn't have them could someone give me another one so I can fix it?**

**Questions:**

**- Who is Vladimir?**

**- Why are K-unit going shopping?**

**- Who attacked Brooklands? Why did they think Alex was alive?**

**- Are the Russians who kidnapped K-unit connected to Vladimir?**

**- How will Ben blackmail Mrs Jones? What will be the consequences?**

**Answers and feedback are greatly sort after and very much appreciated!**

**-TaCo**


	8. Chapter 8

**Replies to Reviews:**

**Zabhua: Thanks a bunch for the review – both of them! Thanks so much for answering my ** questions, as well as the other ones. I think you'd have to be one of, if not the best reviewer. Your advice for the Russian is appreciated, but I'm gonna be an annoying author and say I like the way it is. I am going to change it slightly and write the translation in bold brackets beside it though. Your answer for the questions were great, and will most likely influence later chapters, as usual :D I didn't make it clear, but Crawley is the new deputy.**

CHAPTER 8 – Breakdowns, Trinkets and Evidence

"You can't continue to do this to yourself."

Viper growled at his unit leader. "I can do whatever the hell I want Lynx. You're not my mother."

"No, I'm not," Lynx agreed. "But I am your unit leader, and I _command _you to stop doing this!"

Viper hissed, much like his namesake. "You have no right to order me around, you don't hold the position of unit leader in my mind!"

Lynx didn't think before he slapped Viper across the face, hard enough to make his head snap to the side but not hard enough to draw blood. "I don't care what position I have in your mind! I am your leader and you will treat me with the proper authority and respect that my position demands."

"Yes, o' great leader of mine," sneered Viper. Lynx slapped him again, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He spat the blood on the ground, making sure some landed on his unit-mate's boots, and glared at the man.

Lynx was no longer paying attention to him though, he had turned away and was walking towards the door. Before leaving however, he turned around and softly spoke one last sentence. "You don't need to forget him, but you do need to get over it. He's not coming back; ever."

As soon as the door clicked shut Lynx grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at the bathroom mirror. The sound of glass shattering brought many soldiers from their huts to investigate. When they arrived Viper was nowhere to be seen, having slipped out the side door in the confusion.

Fifteen minutes later the soldiers were all back in there huts, and the Sergeant was the only one left standing amount the broken glass. He bent down and carefully picked up a small wooden box, or what was left of it. The lid had come of the hinges and skidded off into a corner, and the wood was cracked and splintered. The Sergeant didn't care about the box though, he only care about what was inside.

A figure hidden in the shadows was also interested in the contents of the box, and as the Sergeant pulled them out he had to muffle a gasp. There were only two things but they held so much meaning, and added another piece to the puzzle that was E-unit. The items only added more questions to the long list in his mind though.

A photograph and a pendant.

Meaningless to anyone who was unfamiliar with E-unit, and meaningless to anyone who was not a Rider.

There were still three hours until the soldiers needed to be up, but all of E-unit were awake. In fact, none of them had slept at all. Lynx was pacing, muttering to himself. Hawk was alternating between gazing out the window and running an agitated hand through his messy hair. Cheetah was sitting indian style on his bed, calmly observing. And Viper was nowhere to be seen.

The minutes ticked by slowly, and thirteen minutes later Lynx finally snapped. "How the hell can you be so calm about this!"

Cheetah gazed back at him, his face unemotional and unreadable. "Because he'll be back."

"You don't know that," Lynx argued.

"Yes I do."

"You don't even know Viper," Hawk pointed out. "How can you be so sure he'll come back."

Cheetah shot him and annoyed look. "If you're so worried about him why don't you go and tell the Sergeant!?"

Lynx and Hawk hesitated, sharing a look before Lynx answered. "We can't."

Cheetah nodded. "Because of last time."

"What do you mean, 'because of last time?'"

The newest unit-mate snorted. "Please, do you think I'm stupid? This has obviously happened before, right?"

Nobody answered him, but Cheetah wasn't expecting them to and he continued anyway. "You most likely told the Sergeant, and he sent out a search party. But they didn't find Viper, and when they returned he was here. Knowing the Sergeant, you would have all received a punishment for wasting his time – my guess would be kitchen duty for two weeks. Knowing Viper, he wouldn't have spoken to you for all of that time, if not longer. Am I right?"

"Woah," Hawk whispered in awe. "How did you do that?"

Cheetah shrugged. "Like I said, it was obvious." Not giving the others a change to reply to the comment – deny the comment – he lay down and pulled the thin blankets over him. "We only have two and half hours until breakfast, I suggest you get some sleep. Viper will be here when we wake up."

Reluctantly the other two followed his lead and lay down. Cheetah seemed to be asleep almost instantly, and Hawk soon after, Lynx couldn't sleep though. He wasn't just worried about his missing unit-mate, he was feeling guilty. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was his fault, and that something very bad was going to happen because of it.

Viper actually wasn't missing. While E-unit were worrying – and feeling guilty in Lynx's case – he was slouching in a chair opposite the Sergeant. After his... outburst... the Sergeant had tracked him down and dragged him to the infirmary. Once he'd been cleared, albeit reluctantly, by the doctor, Viper had been forced into the Sergeant's office and gently pushed into a chair.

Four hours and twenty-six minutes later they were still there.

After only half an hour it had become clear that Viper wasn't going to say anything, so the Sergeant had taken a page from the book of his childhood; they were playing the waiting game. After four and a half hours the Sergeant was beginning to doubt the effectiveness of patience though. Viper had done nothing except sit there and watch him; the Sergeant wasn't even sure if he'd blinked!

"I can't."

The barely audible words, made the Sergeant snap his attention back to the man in front of him. Viper showed no signs he'd spoken though, and the Sergeant was beginning to think he was hallucinating. The silence was getting to him, as was the late hour of the night, well, morning. Just as he'd decided nothing had been said Viper spoke again.

"What does it feel like?" Viper's eyes' were fixed on the Sergeant's, penetrating, searching. His voice was still calm, as though he didn't care about the answer, but the volume had risen.'

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Sergeant replied calmly.

Suddenly he was no longer sitting at his desk. Viper was out of his chair, around the desk, and holding his commanding officer in a choke hold. It had happened so fast that if you'd blinked you would have missed it, which is exactly what happened to the Sergeant.

"Yes, you do know," Viper snarled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about! So tell me; what does it feel like to lose your best friend?"

The Sergeant swallowed, deciding it would be best to cooperate with the soldier's questioning until he could get an advantage. "Bad, very bad."

Viper nodded. "And what does it feel like when it's your fault?"

"Viper, it wasn't yo-" the Sergeant cut off with a gasp for air when the pressure on his windpipe increased.

"That's not the right answer, Sergeant. I'm going to give you one more chance; what's it like?" Viper's voice was soft, detached, as though he was in a dream.

The Sergeant couldn't answer, he could hardly breath. Viper frowned when he got no response, interpreting it as a lack of cooperation, not a lack of oxygen. His hold got tighter, and the Sergeant struggled to pull away, desperately clawing at the arm on his throat. Black spots danced in the corner of his vision, calling him, taunting him. In one last attempt to gain freedom he lashed out, but the sudden movement only resulted in a loss of consciousness.

His last though was not, _I'm going to die_, as most people would be thinking, but instead; _Yes, I know what it feels like..._

"_Ma'am? We have a problem."_

Those were the words spoken over the telephone that had caused Mrs Jones to leave the comfort her bed to go to work at five-thirty in the morning. When she arrived barely two words were spoken to her before she was lead down to the interrogation rooms, where Crawley was already waiting.

"What's the problem?" she asked, straight to the point; blunt, much like her predecessor.

"We have a suspect for the D'alto* case," Crawley informed her. "He was found early this morning."

Mrs Jones nodded. "Who found him?"

"Agent Daniels."

Mrs Jones turned away, but spoke over her shoulder. "Call Ben, tell him he has a meeting with me in two hours."

Crawley left to do as ordered and Mrs Jones moved over to the cell where the man was being kept. The agent outside informed her that they had no clue of the man's identity, not even a name. In fact, the guard was only able to offer one useful piece of information, and even it was largely useless.

Ever since they had brought him in he'd been murmuring, it was always one word, the same one, over and over. Sjena. Translators had been studying the word for several hours and at about eight-thirty they made a breakthrough. Once discovering that the word was croatian it didn't take long for them to figure out that it meant 'shadow'. Now the only question was; why did he keep repeating it?

Mrs Jones strongly believed that they wouldn't receive an answer – at least, not yet. She grinned to herself – on the inside of course. A plan had formed, and although it was far from foolproof, it was all they had. Mrs Jones liked to think she was someone who didn't give up, someone who was persistent, and this occasion was no different. She would get her answers, _any way possib__l__e_.

The lobby of the Royal & General Bank was buzzing with activity at eight o'clock in the morning. Customers came and went, chatting among themselves, oblivious as to what really happened inside the bank. One 'customer' in particular though, knew exactly what went on, in fact, he was part of it.

Ben Daniels nervously tapped his fingers against his leg as he waited for the receptionist to tell him to go up to the office of his boss. Apparently his meeting had been delayed due to Mrs Jones being held up in the interrogation department. This was good news to the spy because it meat that phase one of his plan had begun, and was working. Unless of course...

_No, don't think like that,_ Ben forcibly stopped his thoughts.

Luckily he was interrupted by the _ding _of the lift doors before his imagination could destroy any confidence he had previously had. A young agent stepped out and Ben unconsciously found himself profiling him. He was short – maybe 5'10? - with shaggy blonde hair and dull green eyes that constantly darted around, never focusing for long on any one thing. He was slim, but well muscled, and walked with a slight limp. Searching his mind, Ben found no name to fit the face and deduced that he was new, or he'd recently been in the field. His study was interrupted by the voice of the man.

"Monsieur Daniels?"

Ben nodded, frowning slightly at the use of the french, and stood up. "Yes, is she ready to see me?"

"Qui **[Yes]**," the man replied, leading Ben away from the lobby and down a corridor.

"Shouldn't we go to her office?" Ben questioned, instantly suspicious at unfamiliar route.

"Non **[No]**, Monsieur, Madame Jones wishes to see you immédiatement **[immediately]**, she is in the interrogation room."

_'So he speaks english,_' Ben thought.

After descending two flights of stairs and turning down numerous corridors, they arrived at a nondescript white door.

"She is waiting for you," the french agent spoke, this time in english.

"Thank you," Ben murmured.

"Soyez le bienvenu **[You're welcome]**, Monsieur Daniels," the man replied. "Bonne chance! **[Good luck!]**"

"I think I'm gonna need it," Ben muttered as he pushed open the door.

The inside of the room was as bare and dull as the door to enter. A single lightbulb was all that provided light, and it didn't do a very good job, leaving the corners in near darkness. A single table was placed in the centre with two chairs placed on either side. The thing that struck Ben as odd however, was that the room was completely empty of people, including Mrs Jones, who was supposed to be waiting for him. Ignoring his instincts, which screamed at him to _get out_, he advanced further into the room.

A file was on the desk and Ben allowed the curiosity to drive him forward, towards the folder. Glancing around to make sure he really was alone, he reached out and flipped the folder open. What was inside made him step back in shock. His mind screamed at him, protesting against it, but he was unable to speak. He took another step backwards, determined to get away. He collapsed into the chair dropping his head into his hands. One thought repeated over and over in his head.

_All because of Alex._

**AN: I'm feeling quite multi-cultural after this chapter! We've had Russians, a guy speaking Croatian and a French guy! I was going to add more, but this seemed like the perfect ending, don't ya think?**

*** Not really related to the story, I made it up on the spot... Okay, it's kinda related now...**

**Questions:**

**- Who, or what, is the photograph of? How is it significant to E-unit, or a Rider?**

**- What is the pendant? How is it significant to E-unit, or a Rider?**

**- What was in the folder? Why did Ben react the way he did?**

**- Did Viper kill the Sergeant?**

**- Is the french agent of any significance? If so, how?**

**- What significance does the D'alto case suspect have in the story?**

**- What will Viper do now?**

**- How did Cheetah know Viper has 'run away' before?**

**Please please answer the questions in a review! They really do help me to write faster!**

**-TaCo**


	9. AN - Important

**Hey guys,**

**Long time no see, talk, type... whatever.**

**FIrstly, I really want to apologise for that. I'd say it's not my fault and that life got in the way, but that's not strictly true. I can, however, blame school. I've had almost no time at all to write because of my teachers' insistence that I actually do school work. Yeah, I'm shocked as well. The other reason I haven't visited the Alex Rider fandom in forever is because of two amazing authors, otherhawk and InSilva, who write fabulous Ocean's 11 fics. I was curious and read one story and haven't been able to stop! Unfortunately, this means that any other reading and writing I've been wanting to do has been abandoned. Seriously though, if you've seen any Ocean's 11 movies go read there fics!**

**Secondly, and this is actually the important part, I'm going to be taking down this fic and making some changes. As my lovely, loyal readers you have one week to review with your thoughts. I want to know what you guys think needs changing/fixing, what doesn't make sense, where things don't add up, what you want to happen ect. Oh, and I want to know who your favorite character is and who your least favorite character is. Please help me out here and I'll, hopefully, have the first few chapters fixed and reposted as soon as possible!**

**Also, there is a poll on my profile for which of my stories you think needs to be updated the quickest. Do me a huge favour and go and vote. Please.**

**Thank you so much my lovely, loyal readers for being extremely patient and putting up with my inability to update regularly, or at all! Remember, review or PM so I can improve this story and have it reposted ASAP!**

**-TaCo**


End file.
